I ride with a heart rate monitor. Why? Because it I can see in general terms what I'm asking of my body. Here are the basics:

Below 70% - I'm coasting

70% - 80% - This is my groove, I can do it for hours

80% - 90% - I climb in this range

Over 90% - This is reserved for those 15% grades

I'm fairly used to what my body can do. By watching my heart rate, I can last the whole ride, whatever that might be. There are a lot of monitors available on the market. I only needed a few features. I started off with a pretty basic unit, but moved up later.

I don't quite get the feature sets they put into monitors. It seems that to get the features I want, I have to get a lot I don't want. I get a VO2 max test at the gym to get my heart rate zones. So here's what I need a monitor to do:

Show my current heart rate

Indicate if I'm above or below the thresholds I've set

Show how long I've been working

Afterwards, I want to be able to review the ride (max/min rates and duration)

The most basic of monitors could provide these features, but instead I'm required by buy up the product line. My monitor wants to tell me what my limits should be and what I should be doing on a particular day. No thanks.